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Nine eco-friendly decorating finds for your home

By Debra NortonSpecial to the Star

Fri., April 20, 2018

Earth day is April 22, and it’s a reminder that being eco-friendly isn’t just about turning off the lights. When it comes to home decor, choosing greener alternatives can help you reduce your carbon footprint, deliver better air quality and save energy. From a chic chair made with FSC certified wood to a light fixture composed of recycled pulp paper, it’s never been easier to find eco-friendly products that look great and help you do your bit for the environment. Here are nine stylish and eco-friendly finds for your home.

Celebrate earth hour by candlelight by burning beeswax candles with lead-free cotton wicks. Evelyn Neves makes candles using 100 per cent pure beeswax sourced from Canadian beekeepers. Her Vancouver-based business started when her grandfather, who kept bees on his land, gave her a bag of unfiltered beeswax. Candles are available in whimsical shapes, alphabet letters and numbers.

Everything looks good in a chic paper bag. Fill it with lemons or pop a plant inside. It’s a paper bag that looks and feels like leather and washes like fabric. It’s functional and stylish. An Italian import, Uashmama paper bags are made from FSC certified paper, coloured using vegetable dyes and use a vegan process to “tan and stretch” the paper. They are available in a variety of sizes, styles and colours.

Jen Croken collects sea glass found on the shores of Prince Edward Island and transforms it into unique art. Glass discarded long ago gets its unique shape and texture from tumbling in the sea. Croken reimagines the shards as tiny cacti or other whimsical objects which are mounted on watercolour paper and framed.

Ikea is dyeing some of its textiles using agricultural waste products — like leaves, nutshells and orange peel that would otherwise be thrown out. The new JOFRID throw made of cotton and linen is available in natural and bluish grey tones, as a throw or pillow.

Although the Stria rug is crafted from recycled plastic bottles, it feels like wool, making it soft to walk on and durable enough to handle high traffic areas in your home. The on-trend ombre effect is a result of the variety in recycled materials, making each rug’s pattern and colour distinctive. Available in four colours.

Jasna Sokolovic and Noel O’Connell are Montreal artists focused on creating unusual, sustainable and functional objects. Their experiments with moulded pulp combined with ceramics led to the design of Pulplites. Now in its third generation, the made-to-order pendants are a unique combination of coloured porcelain and recycled paper pulp, sealed with a water-based coating. Pair it with an LED bulb to save energy.

Joël and Danielle Cyr are the shopkeepers behind Winnipeg-based lifestyle brand MUR, who sell a beautifully curated selection of beautiful and useful products for everyday living. We love the simplicity of the sustainably harvested mango wood plates which are perfect for serving food or as a tray for smaller items. Available in three sizes.

Fugitive Glue is a multidisciplinary design studio founded in 2010 by Jano Badovinac. The studio creates unique, upcycled housewares and accessories including the Bomba stool, made from 40-pound propane cylinders reinvented for use as a stool or small side table. Finished with a handcrafted, reclaimed wood top. Made to order.

Shopping for eco-friendly furniture has become easier with the increasing variety of brands offering ethically made and environmentally sustainable options. Style Garage is one such brand. A local furniture manufacturer and retailer that features locally-sourced sustainable materials in its furniture collection, such as this contemporary accent chair made with FSC-certified wood products.

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